putting on a show!
The nearer the dawn the darker the night.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Some nights it’s just worth it to forgo sleep and gaze at the stars. Conditions could not have been better for viewing the Perseid meteor shower overnight.
Heading outside at midnight I waited for the moon to set and it didn’t take long for the meteors to start flying from their radiant, the Perseus constellation!
I am lucky to live in a place not hampered by light pollution so even the faint streaks of light shooting across the sky were visible. I lost count early on…
These are a little challenging to shoot and often they seem to land just outside of your frame with perhaps a tail sticking in. Their brightness varied a great deal as did their length but what struck me the most was the color! One fireball, a particularly bright meteor, was bright orange as it exploded into view, partially obscured naturally by a tall cedar tree.
Just like other times when I’ve been out photographing night events like the aurora borealis, the animals seemed to feel the energy and their sounds added music to the show.
This meteor was one of the last that I captured as dawn approached tinting the sky with pink. It’s not too late to catch some so if your skies are clear and dark tonight and into the predawn hours, pull up a cot and spend a night out under the stars.
The recipe for shooting? Patience, wider angle lens, higher iso, longer shutter speeds, a tripod, and a timer or a remote trigger. If you’ve got it, now is the perfect time to figure out how to use that intervalometer that might just be built into your camera so pull out that manual!
As always don’t get so wrapped up in getting the shot that you forget to take time to simply watch and enjoy.
it's (almost always) about the water... 
Nice capture! Clouds last night here. (NorthCentralFlorida) Hopefully more clear tonight.
Thanks, Maura hope you get a chance to see some “live”. it was a tremendous show!
WOW! I find it hard to believe there are so many stars to view. It’s an excellent picture but I suppose you will be out there trying for a better one tonight. Good luck.
There’s always room for improvement!
Wonderful shot, and the last line is dead on. Sometimes when I am out shooting I have to drop the camera, as well as my jaw, and immerse myself in nature’s beauty!
Thanks, Wade. I think we need to be careful not to desensitize ourselves by viewing only through glass. I’m guilty of it but try to take time to just watch too. I would imagine your photography allows for lots of those moments!
It’s been the driest summer here since 1937, yet the past two days have brought rain into the night. The Perseids will have to wait another year; the much-needed water will prevail. And I can enjoy the meteor shower vicariously through your images and words. Speaking of words, your last sentence gets a great big YES!
It’s (almost always) about the water! We were so very dry last year but this summer has been much better. Glad you’re getting some. Thanks as always for dropping in and commenting.
Beautiful!! Glad I stopped to check this out – I forgot about the showers as I was completely exhausted last evening and this evening is cloudy, but maybe by the wee hours it will clear.
I’m glad you did! For me watching something like this really puts our environment into scale. Hope it cleared up for you!
…And that soft pinky tinge! You are indeed lucky to have such beauty around you. The ability to capture it, though, involves a lot more than pure luck. Well done.